Analysis Of The Full Frontal Crashworthiness Of Four Wheel Light Weight Vehicles With And Without Crashing Load Absorber

Abstract

Road Traffic Accident Is The Major Alarming Issue In The World. The Crashworthiness Enhancement Of Vehicle Structures Is A Very Challenging Task During The Vehicle Design Process Due To Complicated Nature Of Vehicle Design Structures That Need To Comply With Different Conflicting Design Task Requirements. Although Different Safety Agencies And Researchers Have Issued And Modified Standardized Crash Tests To Guarantee Structural Integrity And Occupant Survivability, There Is Continued Rise Of Fatalities In Vehicle Crashes Especially The Passenger Cars. This Research Explores The Analysis Of A Full Frontal Crashworthiness Of Providing Energy Absorbing Systems As A Function Of The Impact Speed To Achieve Enhanced Occupant As Well As Driver Safety. The Study Is Conducted Starting From Design Of Different Parts Of The Crashing Load Absorbers, Where The Performance Potentials Of Different Concepts In Energy Absorbing Elements Are Investigated. The Models Of The Existing And Modified Vehicle Body-Over-Frame With The Crashing Load Absorber Are Prepared Using Catia Software. In The Final Phase, The Proposed Crashing Load Absorber Concept Is Implemented In A High Fidelity Non-Linear Finite Element Model Of A Small Passenger Car In The Explicit Dynamics Platform. In This Case Before Proceeding Through The Fe Explicit Dynamics Analysis Of The Existing And Modified Vehicle Models, The Static Structural Analysis Of The Crashing Load Absorber Piston, Crashing Load Absorber Rear End Supporter And Crashing Load Absorber Assembly Is Performed At Design Load. The Analysis Of The Models In Explicit Dynamics With And Without Energy Absorbing System, Obtained At Their Impact Speeds Depending On The Kinetic Energy That Produced In A Real Vehicle At 80 Km/H, Are Compared With Those Of The Baseline Model To Illustrate The Crashworthiness Enhancement And Energy Absorbing Properties Of The Existing One And The Proposed Concept. The Results Shown The Crashing Load Absorber Piston, Rear End Supporter And The Absorber Assembly Itself At 11274.65 N Given The Better Result On Deformation And Stress Relative To The Material Properties Of Structural Steel. The Existing Vehicle And Modified Vehicle Models Analysis Result Shown At Their Initial Velocity Of 26.984 M/S And 26.011 M/S Respectively, The Total Deformation Of The Existing Vehicle Model Is Much Greater Than The Modified Vehicle Model Of Total Deformation. Thus The Vehicle Crashworthiness Can Be Greatly Enhanced Using The Crashing Load Absorber System.